Control system and method for single-handed seamless camera control

ABSTRACT

An image capture control apparatus is provided for single-handed seamless camera control of a camera during capture of video content. The apparatus includes a stick extending from a base and operating bi-directionally to adjust a setting of the camera. Moreover, first, second and third continuous control elements are disposed around the base to control respective parameters of the camera for image content capture. Each of the first continuous control element, the second continuous control element and the third continuous control element are configured to be physically manipulated simultaneously by a hand of an operator of the single-handed seamless camera.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to U.S. Patent ProvisionalApplication No. 62/827,654, filed Apr. 1, 2019, the contents of whichare hereby incorporated in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to an apparatus for controllingcamera operations, and more particularly to a control system and methodfor single-handed seamless camera control.

BACKGROUND

In broadcast, it is common use to have a single control panel per camerathat controls all functions available in a camera and its connectedelements, such as a camera lens. In the industry, the person operatingsuch a panel is referred to as a “shader” and his or her primaryresponsibility is to modify the parameters of a camera in such a waythat the image is pleasant to watch and/or matches a reference camera.

A typical control panel consists of a varying number of buttons, adisplay and a so-called stick. The stick is a control element, typicallylocated at the lower end of the panel, sticking out perpendicularly tothe control panel's surface. It can pivot up and down, controlling afunction. In addition, there's a second control in the stick, which is aring rotating around the stick, controlling a second function.

With conventional designs, existing camera control panels feature astick with only two operational controls: generally the lens' iriscontrol and master-black control. However, when making a transition, forexample from indoor to outdoor scenes, more than two controls need to beoperated simultaneously in order to present a pleasing scene for aviewer. Normally this is performed using two hands: one hand controlsthe stick while the other hand controls another control element on thepanel. As a result, conventional configurations limit the amount ofcameras that can be shaded simultaneously to one, while often multiplecameras require shading at the same time. Further, this is anergonomically disadvantaged way of operating, resulting in transitionsthat are not as smooth as they could be.

SUMMARY

A control system for single-handed seamless camera control is providedin the present disclosure. In exemplary aspects, the control systemincludes a plurality of cameras configured to capture video content, aplurality of panels each configured to control a single camera of theplurality of cameras, a panel comprising: at least one apparatus forsingle-handed seamless camera control, the at least one apparatuscomprising: a base, coupled to the panel, configured to secure the atleast one apparatus, a stick extending from the base and configured tooperate bi-directionally, a first continuous control element disposedaround the base of the at least one apparatus configured to control afirst parameter of a camera, a second continuous control elementdisposed at a distal end of the at least one apparatus configured tocontrol a second parameter of the camera, a third continuous controlelement disposed at a distal end of the at least one apparatusconfigured to control a third parameter of the camera, and at least onedividing element between the second continuous control element and thesecond continuous control element configured to allow the second andthird continuous control element to be controlled independently.

In another exemplary aspect, a single-handed seamless camera controlleris provided that includes a base, coupled to the panel, configured tosecure the at least one apparatus; a stick extending from the base andconfigured to operate bi-directionally; a first continuous controlelement disposed around the base of the at least one apparatusconfigured to control a first parameter of a camera; a second continuouscontrol element disposed at a distal end of the at least one apparatusconfigured to control a second parameter of the camera; a thirdcontinuous control element disposed at a distal end of the at least oneapparatus configured to control a third parameter of the camera, and atleast one dividing element between the second continuous control elementand the second continuous control element configured to allow the secondand third continuous control element to be controlled independently.

In a refinement of this aspect, each of the first continuous controlelement, the second continuous control element and the third continuouscontrol element are configured to be controlled simultaneously by a handof a shader operating the control system. Moreover, a processor isprovided that is configured to detect adjustment of a continuous controlon the at least one apparatus; retrieve a video function that is mappedto the adjusted continuous control; map a current value of the adjustedcontinuous control to a respective value in a range of values of thevideo function; and apply the mapped value to the video function of oneof the plurality of cameras.

In some aspects, each of the first continuous control element, thesecond continuous control element and the third continuous controlelement are configured to be controlled simultaneously by a hand of ashader operating the control system.

The control system further comprises a processor, configured to detectadjustment of a continuous control on the at least one apparatus,retrieve a video function that is mapped to the adjusted continuouscontrol, map a current value of the adjusted continuous control to arespective value in a range of values of the video function, and applythe mapped value to the video function of one of the plurality ofcameras.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an apparatus for single-handed seamless cameracontrol, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2 illustrates a panel incorporating the apparatus for single-handedseamless camera control, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 3 illustrates exemplary operation of multiple panels in controllingmultiple cameras, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a method for single-handed seamless cameracontrol, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a computer system on whichaspects of systems and methods for single-handed seamless camera controlcan be implemented in accordance with an exemplary aspect.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various aspects of the disclosure are now described with reference tothe drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to likeelements throughout. In the following description, for purposes ofexplanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to promotea thorough understanding of one or more aspects of the disclosure. Itmay be evident in some or all instances, however, that any aspectsdescribed below can be practiced without adopting the specific designdetails described below. In other instances, well-known structures anddevices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitatedescription of one or more aspects. The following presents a simplifiedsummary of one or more aspects of the disclosure in order to provide abasic understanding thereof.

When a camera moves from capturing an indoor scene to capturing anoutdoor scene (as an example transition that may occur in filming andimage capture), a number of properties typically change, including, forexample, the intensity of the scene, and the color temperature of thescene and the contrast in the scene, although those of ordinary skill inthe art will recognize that many other ambient properties may change.The elements that are needed to manage the changes for purposes of clearand pleasant video capture (from the viewer's perspective) include thelens' iris and the color-balance. In some exemplary aspects, theapparatus described herein is configured to allow the shadersimultaneous controls of the lens' iris, master gain, color-balance andmaster-black (black levels). With the apparatus provided, all controlsmay be assigned to elements on the stick so that smooth scenetransitions can be realized with a single hand, while the camera canremain on-air. In addition, the shader may be transitioning a secondcamera similarly using his or her other hand, if needed.

The example described above is only one example of operation; manydifferent scenarios can benefit from the streamlined control of theapparatus. Every production may require other critical elements thatneed to be controlled simultaneously and smoothly. Therefore, thefunctions assigned to the control elements can be chosen freely andmodified freely. Going forward, the variety of functions that needsimultaneous control is only growing, further increasing thepossibilities of usage of the apparatus. New video-modes, such as HighDynamic Range (HDR) video, may require different and new functions thanused in conventional and existing camera control. The apparatusovercomes the disadvantages and limits of typical control panels, andhelps prevent control panels from becoming even less user-friendly thanthey are today with such existing cumbersome configurations. Whencontrol panels were initially contemplated, most camera controlfunctions were not continuous functions with a resolution well withinvisible steps, but were coarse steps. As a result, the need for smoothcontrols and the functions themselves did not exist, or they were nottypically available when a scene was visible to the viewers (‘on-air’).

FIG. 1 illustrates an apparatus 100 for single-handed seamless cameracontrol, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. In an exemplaryaspect, the apparatus 100 (i.e., a single-handed seamless cameracontroller) has various control components that are configured to aid ashader in modifying scene and camera parameters, making scenetransitions smooth and seamless and avoiding jarring visual changes forthe viewers. In this embodiment, the apparatus 100 comprises a stick 110extending from a base mounted on a panel 114, a first ring 112 disposedat the base region 140 of the stick 110, a second ring 108 disposedaround a bottom portion in the control region 120 of the apparatus 100and a third ring 104 disposed around a top portion in the control region120 of the apparatus 100. The apparatus 100 further comprises a dividingelement 102 (i.e., a first control region divider), a dividing element106 (i.e., a second control region divider) and a button control 116.

According to one embodiment, the stick 110 is configured to move forwardand backwards, or laterally side to side, though other two-waydirectional configurations are also contemplated. In essence, the stick110 is generally assigned to a function that does not need fine orcontinuous adjustment.

According to this embodiment, the first ring 112, the second ring 108and the third ring 104 of the apparatus 100 are implemented as rotarycontrols that are continuously rotatable. The continuous rings aredesigned so that the first ring (i.e., the lower ring) 112 can be easilycontrolled while a shader's hand rests around the stick 110 forprecision modifications. The second ring 108 and the third ring 104 atthe top of the apparatus 100 are implemented such that they are easilycontrolled by the shader's fingers. In exemplary aspects, the secondring 108 and the third ring 104 are separated from each other accordingto a pre-calibrated distance ensuring they can be distinctly andindependently controlled. Further, the length of the stick 110 may beadjustable to conform to the size of a shader's hands. As describedabove, the ring controls are “continuous” controls, as opposed to toggleswitches, in order to provide smooth operation as required by theshader. In some embodiments, there may be more than three rings fordifferent controllable aspects. In some aspects, the apparatus 100 mayprovide physical or digital/mechanical audio feedback as each ringcontrol is rotated. In some aspects, each ring may provide differentfeedback so a shader need not look directly at the control, but canaurally determine which control is being adjusted.

Further, the present disclosure also contemplates that instead of rings,pressure sensitive control elements may be used to change each mappedsetting. The pressure sensitive control elements may change the value ofparticular parameters, such as master gain, master black or the like asa user pushes harder or releases pressure on the control element. Insome embodiments, the control elements may be touch sensitive “digital”rotary control elements that modify the values of mapped functions basedon movement detected on the touch sensitive digital rotary controlelement. In other embodiments or aspects, any form of pressuresensitivity or movement could be used as control elements, where theelements can be activated without needing to look at the control. Inexemplary aspects, sensory feedback is provided that can be felt by theshader.

In some aspects, the adjustments to each control element correspond toseamless changes in the mapped function. For example, the gain changesin steps of 0.1 Db and movement of a ring to control the gain wouldproduce a seamless change for the viewer. However, the resolution (e.g.,step value), sensitivity and the positioning of each ring may beadjusted according to user desire, either through a user interface orother configuration method.

In a specific configuration example, the stick 110 can be configured tobe mapped to control a camera's lens' iris (e.g., a lens iriscontroller), while the first ring 112 controls master gain (e.g., amaster gain controller), the second ring 108 controls color-balance(e.g., a color-balance controller) and the third ring 104 controlsmaster-black values of the camera (e.g., a master-black valuecontroller). Thus, if the shader wants to adjust the master gain, theshader rotates the first ring 112 with his or her fingers to increase ordecrease the mast gain based on the direction of rotation (e.g.,clockwise versus counterclockwise). Upon rotation, the adjustment of thering control 112 transmits a signal (i.e., a master gain control signal)to a camera under the shader's control to increase or decrease themaster gain, depending on the direction of rotation of the first ring112. According to a predefined user configuration, as the value of themaster gain reaches a minimum (i.e., a minimum gain control threshold)within the defined range, the master gain may no longer be reduceddespite continuous rotation of the first ring 112. Similarly, as thevalue of the master gain reaches a maximum (i.e., a maximum gain controlthreshold) within the defined range, the master gain may no longer beincreased despite continuous rotation of the first ring 112.

However, it is possible that a user may desire that a control value loopback around from minimum to maximum (or from the maximum value to theminimum value) as the control is rotated one or the other directioncontinuously and the apparatus 100 can be configured accordingly. In oneembodiment, a user may desire that the continuous control of the firstring 112 be linearly mapped to the master gain control where turning thecontrol a specified degree only changes the master gain control by aspecified value. In another embodiment, the rotation may be non-linearlymapped to the master gain control. For example, as a shader rotates thefirst ring 112, the master gain increases logarithmically,exponentially, or in any other predefined proportion, of which suchcontrol can be configured according to user control or predefinedsettings, for example. Similarly, each of the continuous controls may beconfigured as described above regarding loop back, continuous rotation,linear and non-linear value mappings and the like.

In addition to the physical layout of apparatus 100, the implementationis such that the function controlled by all control elements can beassigned by a user in order to support the described operations, as wellas any other set of functions such as HDR settings (e.g., gamma breakingpoint, where the gamma curve of the two parts can be set independentlyto create an artistic look within the large exposure range), or even newfunctions that are yet to be developed. Thus, according to an exemplaryaspect, the apparatus 100 is fully programmable according to a user'sneed and any of the controls can be mapped to any of the functionsprovided by a camera under control. An exemplary embodiment forconfiguring the apparatus 100 will be described in more detail below.

In an exemplary aspect as further shown in FIG. 1, element 102 andelement 106 are configured as mechanical dividers to ensure thatcontrols 104 and 106 can be rotated independently and will not beinadvertently adjusted by a user during operation. Moreover, the buttoncontrol 116 is enabled when it is pressed down and can be configured,for example, to enable a display controlled by the shader to switch to aparticular camera for transitioning. In some aspects, the apparatus 100can be configured to set a reference value for a particular parameter.For example, if the shader has adjusted the first ring 112 to a pointwhere the master gain is ideal for a particular scene, and later theshader needs to change the master gain, the shader may store the currentmaster gain value and subsequently recall the stored master gain whenreturning to the particular scene instead of adjusting the first ring112 to attempt to redundantly find the ideal settings, using additionalcontrol elements on the apparatus 100. In some embodiments, theapparatus 100 transmits a transitioning signal to the camera so thecamera transitions from the current master gain to the stored mastergain using an additional control element on the apparatus 100.Similarly, the controls for storing and retrieving master gain valuesmay also or alternatively be used to store other camera and scenesettings for easy retrieval and application. In other embodiments,artificial intelligence may be used to monitor changes that a shadermakes based on historical transitions performed by the shader, givenparticular parameters. So when a scene transition with similar parametertransitions are encountered, a controller associated with the apparatuscan be configured to learn and predict the functions' settings and applythem automatically, or assist the shader in providing suggested valuesor the like. In one exemplary aspect, a shader can configure how muchpredictive adjustments are made and balanced with how much manualcontrol the shader has.

As an example, an image capture setting controller coupled to theapparatus is configured to preset reference values for the respectiveparameters controlled by the first, second and third continuous controlelements. During operation, the image capture setting controller candetermine characteristics of the video content (e.g., the scene)captured by the camera, such as lighting, shadows, color, movement andthe like. Using one or more of these detected values, the image capturesetting controller can then identify the preset reference values for therespective parameter based on the determined characteristics to assistthe shader in suggested values. In one aspect, the image capture settingcontroller automatically changes the settings of the apparatus 100 basedon the detected characteristics of the captured video content tooptimize further video capture.

Currently, when cameras goes outdoors, shaders must change the amount oflight, as well as color temperature which takes a significant amount oftime. The image will look bluish, normal, overexposed or underexposedfor example, for a period of time and a viewer will likely notice theirregularity. Apparatus 100 however greatly reduces this time because ashader can control critical parameters for this transition with onehand. Thus, gain and color temperature can be adjusted simultaneously atthe same time that there is a scene transition.

It should be appreciated that an exemplary design for apparatus 100 isshown in FIG. 1. Alternative configurations may have different ergonomicconsiderations or control placements, but the inclusion of at least twocontinuous controls will be preferable.

FIG. 2 illustrates a panel 200 incorporating the apparatus 100 forsingle-handed seamless camera control, in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment.

Specifically, in an exemplary aspect, each shader controls a pluralityof panels similar to panel 200, where each panel 200 controls a cameraas shown in FIG. 3. Each panel 200 incorporates the apparatus 100 as acontrol element among a plurality of other control elements 204 and 206.The panel 200 can also include a display panel 202 that is configured todisplay, in one aspect, one or more settings being currently adjusted,the value of the settings as they are adjusted, other settings that maybe affected, in addition to default values that are selected to becontinuously displayed as the shader adjusts the various controlelements. According to one aspect, the panel 200 may also come equippedwith multiple apparatuses 100, each apparatus 10 controlling a singlecamera, or controlling different functions of the same camera.

FIG. 3 illustrates a control system for exemplary operation of multiplepanels in controlling multiple cameras, in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment.

In an exemplary embodiment, a shader 300 may be operating a panel 330with apparatus 332 in order to control camera 302 and a panel 340 withapparatus 342 in order to control camera 304. In some aspects, thepanels 330 and 340 are directly coupled to the respective cameras 302and 304 wired or wirelessly, respectively, but in other aspects thepanels 200 may control the respective cameras 302 and 304 wirelessly, orwired, via a network 301.

In one example, the camera 304 can be configured to transition fromcapturing an outdoor scene 310 to an indoor scene 320, where the valuesof the camera parameters drastically differ to achieve similar picturequality. As the camera transitions from scene 310 to scene 320, theshader 300 operates panel 340 and adjusts, for example, iris lens,master gain, and the like using apparatus 342, which corresponds toapparatus 100 as described above with respect to FIG. 1, for example.Simultaneously, however, the camera 302 can also be configured toautomatically transition, for example from a first scene (e.g., anindoor scene) to a second scene (e.g., an outdoor scene). Since theshader only needs a single hand to control multiple parameters of asingle camera, the shader can control the parameters of camera 302 bymanipulating the apparatus 332 of panel 330, simultaneously while he orshe adjusts the parameters of camera 304 by manipulating the apparatus342 of panel 340. Further, the shader 300 may adjust the parametersaccording to a reference camera 303. In some embodiments, the shadergenerally control more than two cameras, and may control up to eight toeleven cameras. However, with the present configuration, shaders maycontrol two cameras at once instead of previously known configurationswhere only one camera could be controlled at one time.

In exemplary aspects, the apparatus 332 and 342 each have an associatedcontroller (e.g., an image capture setting controller) that maps valuesfrom the controls to video and camera controls. For example, apparatus332 has a controller 350 that determines which control was actuated. Inone aspect, the controller 350 can be integrated as a component ofapparatus 342. In another aspect, controller 350 can be a separatecomponent wired or wireless coupled (e.g., by Bluetooth connection) toapparatus 342. In either case, controller 350 can be a computerprocessing device configured to execute software for performing thealgorithms and functionality described herein. For example, thecontroller (e.g., an image capture setting controller) can be configuredto automatically access preset content capture settings for the one ormore cameras and adjust the control elements (and/or providerecommendations for the operator) based on the detected characteristicsof the content currently being captured by the one or more cameras.

In an exemplary aspect, once the controller 350 knows which control wasactivated, the controller 350 can be configured to query (i.e., bysending a video parameter request) a controls database 360 to determinewhich video parameter that the activated control is associated with. Insome aspects, the controls database 360 may also include range mappings,methods of mapping the controls, and the like as described with respectto FIG. 1. The controller 350 is configured to dynamically retrieve theassociated video parameter (alternatively referred to as function), andthe method of mapping from the control to the range of the videoparameter. The controller 350 maps the control value to the videoparameter value, and then dynamically transmits the mapped value to thecamera 304, or whichever camera is coupled to a particular panel.Similarly, in this aspect all panels and apparatus map their controlsusing a similar controller. In some exemplary embodiments, each panelcontains a controller for the apparatus 100 as described above. In someembodiments, each panel may store some or all of the informationcontained in the controls database 360 to avoid latency over the networkwhen performing camera controls, in order to ensure seamless scenetransitions.

Moreover, in one aspect, the controller 350 can be configured to recordpre-set settings, as selected by the operator of apparatus 340, for aparticular scene with particular image capture settings for one or moreover cameras 302-304. In an further example, apparatus 340 and/orcontroller 350 can provide a user interface that enables the operator todefine the pre-set settings by name so that the operator cansubsequently and dynamically recall these settings (e.g., by sending avideo parameter request) to control database 360.

In some exemplary aspects, a panel (e.g., panel 330) may be coupled toan HDR camera 302, but then the panel is configured to couple to an SDRcamera, or vice versa. The panel 330 and the apparatus 332 each haveadaptable configurations where a controller recognizes the change andremaps the control values of each control element on the panel 332 andthe apparatus 332 according to the change.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a method 400 for single-handed seamlesscamera control, in accordance with exemplary aspects of the presentdisclosure.

The method 400 begins at step 402 when a shader initiates operation ofthe apparatus 100, for example, and proceeds to step 404.

At step 404, a controller of the apparatus 100 detects movement of acontinuous control on the apparatus 100. For example, the controller maydetect movement in one of the ring controls (e.g., first ring controlelement 112, second ring control element 108 and third ring controlelement 104), or any actuator on the apparatus 100. In some aspects, thecontroller also detects control actuation for any control element on anassociated panel (e.g., panel 200).

At step 406, the controller retrieves a video control that is mapped tothe adjusted continuous control. Because each of the control elements isconfigurable to change any number of settings or functions, thecontroller may need to reference the most current mapping for eachcontrol element from a database, a local record in local memory or thelike.

At step 408, the controller maps the value of the continuous control toa respective value in a range of values of the video control. Eachcontrol element (e.g., the rotary ring elements) have an associated“step” change (e.g., 1 dB for gain or the like), thus the controllermust assess the measured adjustment of the control element, retrievestep information, and then use this information to map the adjustmentinto a permissible range of the particular control.

Finally at 410, the controller applies the mapped value to a preselectedparameter of an associated camera associated with the video control. Inother words, whatever function is assigned to the particular controlelement that has been adjusted, the controller takes the mapped valueand adjusts the function according to the mapped value. This may occurover a network or may be directly controlled or the like. The methodterminates at 420. Moreover, it should be appreciated that steps 404 to410 can be repeated as part of a feedback loop as the shader is usingthe apparatus 100 during video content capture.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a computer system 20 on whichaspects of a control system and methods for single-handed seamlesscamera control may be implemented in accordance with an exemplaryaspect. It should be noted that the computer system 20 can correspond tothe controller of the apparatus 100, for example. The computer system 20can be in the form of multiple computing devices, or in the form of asingle computing device, for example, a desktop computer, a notebookcomputer, a laptop computer, a mobile computing device, a smart phone, atablet computer, a server, a mainframe, an embedded device, and otherforms of computing devices.

As shown, the computer system 20 includes a central processing unit(CPU) 21, a system memory 22, and a system bus 23 connecting the varioussystem components, including the memory associated with the centralprocessing unit 21. The system bus 23 may comprise a bus memory or busmemory controller, a peripheral bus, and a local bus that is able tointeract with any other bus architecture. Examples of the buses mayinclude PCI, ISA, PCI-Express, HyperTransport™, InfiniBand™, Serial ATA,I²C, and other suitable interconnects. The central processing unit 21(also referred to as a processor) can include a single or multiple setsof processors having single or multiple cores. The processor 21 mayexecute one or more computer-executable codes implementing thetechniques of the present disclosure. The system memory 22 may be anymemory for storing data used herein and/or computer programs that areexecutable by the processor 21. The system memory 22 may includevolatile memory such as a random access memory (RAM) 25 and non-volatilememory such as a read only memory (ROM) 24, flash memory, etc., or anycombination thereof. The basic input/output system (BIOS) 26 may storethe basic procedures for transfer of information between elements of thecomputer system 20, such as those at the time of loading the operatingsystem with the use of the ROM 24.

The computer system 20 may include one or more storage devices such asone or more removable storage devices 27, one or more non-removablestorage devices 28, or a combination thereof. The one or more removablestorage devices 27 and non-removable storage devices 28 are connected tothe system bus 23 via a storage interface 32. In an aspect, the storagedevices and the corresponding computer-readable storage media arepower-independent modules for the storage of computer instructions, datastructures, program modules, and other data of the computer system 20.The system memory 22, removable storage devices 27, and non-removablestorage devices 28 may use a variety of computer-readable storage media.Examples of computer-readable storage media include machine memory suchas cache, SRAM, DRAM, zero capacitor RAM, twin transistor RAM, eDRAM,EDO RAM, DDR RAM, EEPROM, NRAM, RRAM, SONOS, PRAM; flash memory or othermemory technology such as in solid state drives (SSDs) or flash drives;magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, and magnetic disk storage such as inhard disk drives or floppy disks; optical storage such as in compactdisks (CD-ROM) or digital versatile disks (DVDs); and any other mediumwhich may be used to store the desired data and which can be accessed bythe computer system 20.

The system memory 22, removable storage devices 27, and non-removablestorage devices 28 of the computer system 20 may be used to store anoperating system 35, additional program applications 37, other programmodules 38, and program data 39. The computer system 20 may include aperipheral interface 46 for communicating data from input devices 40,such as a keyboard, mouse, stylus, game controller, voice input device,touch input device, or other peripheral devices, such as a printer orscanner via one or more I/O ports, such as a serial port, a parallelport, a universal serial bus (USB), or other peripheral interface. Adisplay device 47 such as one or more monitors, projectors, orintegrated display, may also be connected to the system bus 23 across anoutput interface 48, such as a video adapter. In addition to the displaydevices 47, the computer system 20 may be equipped with other peripheraloutput devices (not shown), such as loudspeakers and other audiovisualdevices

The computer system 20 may operate in a network environment, using anetwork connection to one or more remote computers 49. The remotecomputer (or computers) 49 may be local computer workstations or serverscomprising most or all of the aforementioned elements in describing thenature of a computer system 20. Other devices may also be present in thecomputer network, such as, but not limited to, routers, networkstations, peer devices or other network nodes. The computer system 20may include one or more network interfaces 51 or network adapters forcommunicating with the remote computers 49 via one or more networks suchas a local-area computer network (LAN) 50, a wide-area computer network(WAN), an intranet, and the Internet. Examples of the network interface51 may include an Ethernet interface, a Frame Relay interface, SONETinterface, and wireless interfaces.

Aspects of the present disclosure may be a system, a method, and/or acomputer program product. The computer program product may include acomputer readable storage medium (or media) having computer readableprogram instructions thereon for causing a processor to carry outaspects of the present disclosure.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store program code in the form of instructions or datastructures that can be accessed by a processor of a computing device,such as the computing system 20. The computer readable storage mediummay be an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device, anoptical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination thereof. Byway of example, such computer-readable storage medium can comprise arandom access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), EEPROM, a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),flash memory, a hard disk, a portable computer diskette, a memory stick,a floppy disk, or even a mechanically encoded device such as punch-cardsor raised structures in a groove having instructions recorded thereon.As used herein, a computer readable storage medium is not to beconstrued as being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves orother freely propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic wavespropagating through a waveguide or transmission media, or electricalsignals transmitted through a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing devices from a computer readablestorage medium or to an external computer or external storage device viaa network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, a wide areanetwork and/or a wireless network. The network may comprise coppertransmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wireless transmission,routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/or edge servers. Anetwork interface in each computing device receives computer readableprogram instructions from the network and forwards the computer readableprogram instructions for storage in a computer readable storage mediumwithin the respective computing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present disclosure may be assembly instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language, and conventional procedural programminglanguages. The computer readable program instructions may executeentirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as astand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partlyon a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. Inthe latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user'scomputer through any type of network, including a LAN or WAN, or theconnection may be made to an external computer (for example, through theInternet). In some aspects, electronic circuitry including, for example,programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), orprogrammable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readableprogram instructions by utilizing state information of the computerreadable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry,in order to perform aspects of the present disclosure.

In various aspects, the systems and methods described in the presentdisclosure can be addressed in terms of modules. The term “module” asused herein refers to a real-world device, component, or arrangement ofcomponents implemented using hardware, such as by an applicationspecific integrated circuit (ASIC) or FPGA, for example, or as acombination of hardware and software, such as by a microprocessor systemand a set of instructions to implement the module's functionality, which(while being executed) transform the microprocessor system into aspecial-purpose device. A module may also be implemented as acombination of the two, with certain functions facilitated by hardwarealone, and other functions facilitated by a combination of hardware andsoftware. In certain implementations, at least a portion, and in somecases, all, of a module may be executed on the processor of a computersystem (such as the one described in greater detail in FIG. 5, above).Accordingly, each module may be realized in a variety of suitableconfigurations, and should not be limited to any particularimplementation exemplified herein.

In the interest of clarity, not all of the routine features of theaspects are disclosed herein. It would be appreciated that in thedevelopment of any actual implementation of the present disclosure,numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made in order toachieve the developer's specific goals, and these specific goals willvary for different implementations and different developers. It isunderstood that such a development effort might be complex andtime-consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking ofengineering for those of ordinary skill in the art, having the benefitof this disclosure.

Furthermore, it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminologyused herein is for the purpose of description and not of restriction,such that the terminology or phraseology of the present specification isto be interpreted by the skilled in the art in light of the teachingsand guidance presented herein, in combination with the knowledge of theskilled in the relevant art(s). Moreover, it is not intended for anyterm in the specification or claims to be ascribed an uncommon orspecial meaning unless explicitly set forth as such.

The various aspects disclosed herein encompass present and future knownequivalents to the known modules referred to herein by way ofillustration. Moreover, while aspects and applications have been shownand described, it would be apparent to those skilled in the art havingthe benefit of this disclosure that many more modifications thanmentioned above are possible without departing from the inventiveconcepts disclosed herein.

What is claimed:
 1. An image capture control system for single-handedseamless camera control, the image capture control system comprising: acamera configured to capture video content; a panel configured tocontrol image capture settings of the camera and comprising: asingle-handed seamless camera controller including: a base that iscoupled to the panel and configured to secure the respectivesingle-handed seamless camera controller; a stick extending from thebase and configured to operate bi-directionally to adjust a lens iris ofthe camera; a first continuous rotatable control element disposed aroundthe base of the single-handed seamless camera controller that isconfigured to rotate about an axis of the stick to control a firstparameter of the camera, wherein the first parameter is a master gain ofthe image capture settings of the camera; a second continuous controlelement disposed on the stick of the single-handed seamless camera andconfigured to control a second parameter of the camera, wherein thesecond parameter is a color-balance of the image capture settings of thecamera; a third continuous control element disposed at a distal end ofthe stick with the second continuous control element disposed betweenthe first and third continuous control elements, and wherein the thirdcontinuous control element is configured to control a third parameter ofthe camera that is a master-black value of the image capture settings ofthe camera, and a dividing element disposed between the second and thirdcontinuous control elements and configured to allow the second and thirdcontinuous control elements to be controlled independently from eachother; wherein each of the first continuous control element, the secondcontinuous control element and the third continuous control element areconfigured to be physically manipulated simultaneously by a hand of anoperator of the single-handed seamless camera; and an image capturesetting controller configured to: detect adjustment of at least one ofthe first, second and third continuous control elements of thesingle-handed seamless camera, retrieve a video function that is mappedto the detected adjustment, with the video function related to arespective image capture setting of the camera; map a current value ofthe adjusted continuous control element to a respective value in a rangeof values of the video function; and apply the mapped value to the videofunction of the camera to control the respective image capture settingof the camera.
 2. The image capture control system according to claim 1,wherein each of the first, second and third continuous control elementsof the single-handed seamless camera are configured to linearly adjustthe respective first, second and third parameters by rotation of therespective continuous control element around the stick of thesingle-handed seamless camera.
 3. The image capture control systemaccording to claim 1, wherein each of the first, second and thirdcontinuous control elements of the single-handed seamless camera areconfigured to non-linearly adjust the respective first, second and thirdparameters by rotation of the respective continuous control elementaround the stick of the single-handed seamless camera to logarithmicallyor exponentially increase or decrease a respective value of therespective parameter.
 4. The image capture control system according toclaim 1, wherein the image capture setting controller is configured topreset a reference value for a respective parameter controlled by one ofthe first, second and third continuous control elements.
 5. The imagecapture control system according to claim 4, wherein the image capturesetting controller is configured to determine characteristics of thevideo content captured by the camera and to identify the presetreference value for the respective parameter based on the determinedcharacteristics.
 6. An image capture control system for single-handedseamless camera control of a camera during capture of video content, theimage capture control system comprising: a single-handed seamless cameracontroller including: a stick extending from a base and configured tooperate bi-directionally to adjust a lens iris of the camera; a firstcontinuous rotatable control element disposed around the base of thesingle-handed seamless camera controller and that is configured torotate about an axis of the stick to control a first parameter of thecamera; a second continuous control element disposed on the stick of thesingle-handed seamless camera and configured to control a secondparameter of the camera; a third continuous control element disposed ata distal end of the stick with the second continuous control elementdisposed between the first and third continuous control elements, andwherein the third continuous control element is configured to control athird parameter of the camera, and wherein each of the first continuouscontrol element, the second continuous control element and the thirdcontinuous control element are configured to be physically manipulatedsimultaneously by a hand of an operator of the single-handed seamlesscamera; and an image capture setting controller configured to: detectadjustment of at least one of the first, second and third continuouscontrol elements of the single-handed seamless camera, retrieve a videofunction that is mapped to the detected adjustment, with the videofunction related to a respective image capture setting of the camera;map a current value of the adjusted continuous control element to arespective value in a range of values of the video function; and applythe mapped value to the video function of the camera to control therespective image capture setting of the camera.
 7. The image capturecontrol system according to claim 6, wherein the single-handed seamlesscamera controller further includes a dividing element disposed betweenthe second and third continuous control elements and configured to allowthe second and third continuous control elements to be controlledindependently from each other.
 8. The image capture control systemaccording to claim 6, wherein the first parameter is a master gain ofthe image capture settings of the camera, the second parameter is acolor-balance of the image capture settings of the camera, and the thirdparameter is a master-black value of the image capture settings of thecamera.
 9. The image capture control system according to claim 6,wherein each of the first, second and third continuous control elementsof the single-handed seamless camera are configured to linearly adjustthe respective first, second and third parameters by rotation of therespective continuous control element around the stick of thesingle-handed seamless camera.
 10. The image capture control systemaccording to claim 6, wherein each of the first, second and thirdcontinuous control elements of the single-handed seamless camera areconfigured to non-linearly adjust the respective first, second and thirdparameters by rotation of the respective continuous control elementaround the stick of the single-handed seamless camera to logarithmicallyor exponentially increase or decrease a respective value of therespective parameter.
 11. The image capture control system according toclaim 1, wherein the image capture setting controller is configured topreset a reference value for a respective parameter controlled by one ofthe first, second and third continuous control elements.
 12. The imagecapture control system according to claim 11, wherein the image capturesetting controller is configured to determine characteristics of thevideo content captured by the camera and to identify the presetreference value for the respective parameter based on the determinedcharacteristics.
 13. An image capture control apparatus forsingle-handed seamless camera control of a camera during capture ofvideo content, the image capture control apparatus comprising: a stickextending from a base and configured to operate bi-directionally toadjust at least one setting of the camera; a first continuous rotatablecontrol element disposed around the base and that is configured torotate about an axis of the stick to control a first parameter of thecamera; a second continuous control element disposed on the stick andconfigured to control a second parameter of the camera; and a thirdcontinuous control element disposed at a distal end of the stick withthe second continuous control element disposed between the first andthird continuous control elements, and wherein the third continuouscontrol element is configured to control a third parameter of thecamera, wherein each of the first continuous control element, the secondcontinuous control element and the third continuous control element areconfigured to be physically manipulated simultaneously by a hand of anoperator of the single-handed seamless camera.
 14. The image capturecontrol apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising an imagecapture setting controller configured to: detect adjustment of at leastone of the first, second and third continuous control elements of thesingle-handed seamless camera; retrieve a video function that is mappedto the detected adjustment, with the video function related to arespective image capture setting of the camera; map a current value ofthe adjusted continuous control element to a respective value in a rangeof values of the video function; and apply the mapped value to the videofunction of the camera to control the respective image capture settingof the camera.
 15. The image capture control apparatus according toclaim 13, further comprising a dividing element disposed between thesecond and third continuous control elements and configured to allow thesecond and third continuous control elements to be controlledindependently from each other.
 16. The image capture control apparatusaccording to claim 13, wherein the first parameter is a master gain ofthe camera, the second parameter is a color-balance of the camera, andthe third parameter is a master-black value of the camera.
 17. The imagecapture control apparatus according to claim 13, wherein each of thefirst, second and third continuous control elements of the single-handedseamless camera are configured to linearly adjust the respective first,second and third parameters by rotation of the respective continuouscontrol element around the stick of the single-handed seamless camera.18. The image capture control apparatus according to claim 13, whereineach of the first, second and third continuous control elements of thesingle-handed seamless camera are configured to non-linearly adjust therespective first, second and third parameters by rotation of therespective continuous control element around the stick of thesingle-handed seamless camera to logarithmically or exponentiallyincrease or decrease a respective value of the respective parameter. 19.The image capture control apparatus according to claim 14, wherein theimage capture setting controller is configured to preset a referencevalue for a respective parameter controlled by one of the first, secondand third continuous control elements.
 20. The image capture controlapparatus according to claim 19, wherein the image capture settingcontroller is configured to determine characteristics of the videocontent captured by the camera and to identify the preset referencevalue for the respective parameter based on the determinedcharacteristics.